Quilting is a sewing process by which layers of textile material and/or other fabrics are joined to produce compressible panels that may be both decorative and functional. The manufacture of certain products, such as mattress covers, involves the application of large-scale quilting processes. These large-scale quilting processes typically use high-speed multi-needle quilting machines to form a series of cover panels along webs of the multiple-layered materials. Large-scale quilting processes typically use chain-stitch sewing heads that produce resilient stitch chains which are supplied by large spools of thread.
For quilting patterns that are not continuous, when the quilter finishes one pattern, the quilt is moved relative to the sewing heads to place the stitch forming elements in the starting position of the new pattern. To avoid having loose threads strung between the end of the previous pattern and the beginning of the new pattern, which would require manual trimming, the needle and/or looper threads may be cut after the previous pattern has been stitched. However, cutting the threads also increases the likelihood that the needle and/or looper will become unthreaded.
When the thread is cut, there should be sufficient thread length remaining to prevent unthreading of the needle and/or looper, but not so much thread length that a tail of thread is left sticking out from the finished quilt. If the thread is too short, the needle or looper may become unthreaded, forcing a shutdown of the quilting machine until it can be rethreaded. Conversely, if the thread is too long, the resulting quilt may require manual trimming before it can be used. If the looper thread has insufficient length, the needle thread may also have difficulties picking up the looper thread at the start of the next pattern, thereby causing missed stitches.
Thus, improved methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are needed for producing quilted products that allow threads to be cut between patterns without the sewing head becoming unthreaded or a defective quilt being produced due to missed stitches at the start of the next pattern.